Second-tier cases show Saad may be in strife

Senior sports writer for The Age

History does not bode well for St Kilda's Ahmed Saad in the investigation over his use of a banned substance. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo

If one uses the second-tier competitions as a guideline for what Ahmed Saad can expect if he is found to have taken a World Anti-Doping Agency-banned substance, he will be in terrible strife.

Of six players who ran foul of the doping regulations in the VFL and the WAFL since 2010, five received two-year bans and one - Casey's Wade Lees - served 18 months simply for ordering a fat-burning substance that contained steroids. Lees' order was intercepted at customs. In the case of Frankston's Matthew Clark, who received a sports drink with the ominous name Hemo Rage, the VFL tribunal took pity, handing him nine months, only to have that stretch extended to two years by a hardline Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority.

Former Richmond player Travis Casserly copped a two-year ban for using pseudoephedrine - yep, the stuff in cold tablets like Sudafed - after the WAFL grand final of 2010.

Three other WAFL players were rubbed out for two years for using either steroids or a stimulant.

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From what Fairfax Media has gathered, Saad's explanation was that he took the substance unwittingly. This was also Matthew Clark's defence, which ASADA did not accept even though the drink was given to him by someone else.

That there are half a dozen ugly precedents for Saad at VFL or WAFL level raises the question of whether there has been a cultural problem incubated in the second-tier level, where there is not as much testing and players might run the gauntlet. Is the aspiration to play AFL causing some players to take risks?

Motivations cannot be measured but there is certainly far less testing at VFL and WAFL level, due to the enormous expense - it costs about $900 per test and those bodies cannot afford constant testing. It is significant that the WAFL managed to nab three players from only 72 tests over a two-year period (2010-11) and then doubled its testing regime. There is no testing in the under 18 TAC Cup competition - only the elite who play for their states are tested.

Pre-Saad, the AFL had nabbed no individual player since Justin Charles in 1997 from many more tests. Either the elite-level players are not as prone to using banned substances or those who do are more sophisticated and/or lucky. This is discounting the unique Essendon situation, where there are not any positive tests and ASADA is relying on documents and witness evidence.

The VFL has introduced a rule that players who were not on AFL lists would not be allowed to play unless they had completed the education on performance-enhancing drugs. This was a response to the two cases in the VFL rather than Essendon/Cronulla.

''If the education was up to scratch, all these incidents, like mine and Travis Casserly and Matt Clark wouldn't happen,'' Lees said after his two-year suspension.

The VFL's view is that the ''I didn't know this was banned'' excuse won't wash. Will the AFL follow this hard line? On the form shown by ASADA and the second-tier tribunals, Saad will need to arm himself with more than ignorance.

7 comments so far

Surely AFL players or any other sportspeople should avoid supplements like the plague, considering the intensive scrutiny by authorities now- the message obviously hasn't sunk in. And how did clubs like Geelong and Collingwood get away with whatever they were obviously using to pump their bodies up around the 2007-2010 period- looked like a bunch of Michelin Men running around?

Commenter

Steveo

Date and time

July 31, 2013, 6:12PM

The whole games starting to get ripped apart by drugs. A bit like cycling and athletics the usual denials, my water was spiked blah blah. I'm so past believing anything that comes out of a footballers mouth or worse a football club representatives mouth about drugs.

Maybe the solution is to legalize and just have legal levels of drugs on match day? Any other thoughts?

Saad is a goner and he should be, but clearly this is more like drugs in the community, a hard line isn't going to work it costs too much, so what out of the box thinking is there?

Commenter

Tdyen

Date and time

July 31, 2013, 6:13PM

Meanwhile,a huge proportion of society smokes its lungs out and abuses alcohol.Anybody out there see a slight paradox here? 'Legal' substances literally killing millions around the globe and people jump up and down about drug cheating athletes.If even 1% of athletes were dying from the drugs they took there would be a public melt-down.Lets have a distraction shall we.

Commenter

Wal

Date and time

July 31, 2013, 6:54PM

Legalising it is no solution. It would force people who want to play clean to take drugs in order to compete - a ludicrous and indefensible scenario. The AFL is not short of cash and more of its money needs to be spent on testing and, in particular, the introduction of biological passports. It should also do more to support lower leagues in their efforts to control the problem, including funding education programs and more testing. Finally, it needs to throw the book at people like Saad. If he's guilty, then it's two years, end of story. The "I didn't know what I was taking" rubbish simply doesn't cut it any more.Professional athletes sign the ASADA and WADA codes in full knowledge of its provisions and have endless seminars and information sessions on their responsibilities in this area. They shouldn't be taking ANYTHING without first verifying its contents and their status under the anti-doping codes. The time for excuses is over.

Commenter

Tyger Tyger

Location

Dublin

Date and time

July 31, 2013, 7:04PM

Very interesting to see how the usually inconsistent AFL deals with this compared to the Essendon saga.

Commenter

Wal

Date and time

July 31, 2013, 6:30PM

Saad was dumb. Many banned WADA substances can actually be taken. They just need to be taken in controllable amounts so they are not performance enhanceing.

Thats what a good sports scientist does.

Its in ASADA's own literature. Unless essendons sports scientist was negligent, watch the bombers and prob cronulla get a slap on the wrist at most.

The bigger penalty will come from the AFL to appease the public.

Commenter

Barney

Date and time

July 31, 2013, 7:27PM

Speaking of catch all clauses, "Bringing the game into disrepute", Zher Demetriou.